The Internet is often and rightly praised for the way it has facilitated access to knowledge, and not least when it comes to horology. But it also has a flip side: it also provides a platform for the release of an often disproportionate and uncalled for quantity of bile against new models which are perceived as missing the mark.
Obvious, more recent examples that spring to mind include the relaunch of Bremont in 2024 and the premature reveal, through a mis-placed magazine advertisement, of the Patek Philippe Cubitus that happened later the same year.
But neither seemed quite as memorable as the extraordinary backlash wreaked against Audemars Piguet when the then CEO, Francois-Henry Bennahmias, pulled the wraps off the all-new Code 11.59 collection.
An initial few posts of disapproval soon snowballed into an avalanche of criticism that made anyone who actually liked the design (me included) almost afraid to admit so in public.
From Backlash to Belonging: How Code 11.59 Won People Over
Fast forward seven years, however, and not only does Code 11.59 still stand, but the original line-up of six models and 13 references has grown to nine models and 44 references. And now it’s not unusual to find people saying (without fear of retribution) that they rather like Code 11.59...
The reaction the design originally received says something about why the luxury watch business is often accused of being stuck in the past, endlessly re-hashing old models – because, when there’s a likelihood of a brand-battering backlash, why would anyone want to risk it?
What Bennahmias and his team did (although they may not have realised it at the time) was both brave and forward thinking, the idea being to introduce a genuinely innovative new watch family that would prevent Audemars Piguet from being seen as a one trick pony too reliant on the Royal Oak.
Indeed, Bennahmias voiced his opinion at the unveiling of Code 11.59 that it was ‘the biggest launch since 1972’, referring, of course, to when the Gerald Genta designed Royal Oak first became available for sale.
Analogies have inevitably drawn between the initial ‘slow start’ of the Royal Oak and the early disapproval of the Code 11.59, as well as the fact that they were both radical designs in their own right.
The Royal Oak both for its octagonal case, its integrated bracelet and (for an initially steel watch) its seemingly exorbitantly large price tag; the Code 11.59 for what was at first perceived to be a bit of a mash-up of design tropes and, possibly, because there was an implication that it was intended to be the equal of the might and revered ‘Oak’ itself.
Famous Faces and a Watch Finding Its Place
The Royal Oak succeeded, however, because its unique appearance began to attract unique buyers (Fiat boss Giani Agnelli, for example, and style maven Karl Lagerfeld) , people who might these days be referred to as ‘influencers’.
The world is different now, however, because such celebrities are almost invariably recruited and paid) to wear such watches, which means their influence is exerted in a somewhat artificial way.
That said, Code 11.59 wearers ranging from Serena Williams and John Mayer to Matthew McConaughey and Kevin Hart have certainly done something to bring the model out from beneath the shadow of the Royal Oak – and helped people to realise that it’s watch family with serious merits.
Not least of which is that it dared to be different – which, lest we forget, is something that all the great wrist watches of the past century have had in common...
